A Muscular Endurance Test for the Legs

Endurance is the ability of your muscles to either hold a contraction over time or perform repeated contractions. Being able to squat down and hold that position, as you would if lowering to button the coat of a child, is due to the muscular endurance capabilities of your legs. Repeatedly squatting down is also a mark of leg muscular endurance. You can effectively test your leg muscles in both of these areas.

Testing

Testing the muscular endurance of your legs allows you to see if your weight training workouts are effective. Perform the endurance tests and record your scores. After six weeks, go through the same endurance tests and then compare your before and after scores to see if you’ve had any improvements. When it comes time for retesting, be sure that you mimic the testing procedures exactly. Perform the same warmup and allow yourself the same amount of time of test in between tests. This will help ensure your scores are accurate.

Wall Sits

The wall sit test will measure your legs’ abilities to hold a contraction over time. Hold a timer in your hand or have a partner keep time. Stand with your back to a wall and step your feet out so that they’re about 1.5 feet away from the wall. Lean back so that you’re resting against the wall and then slide your hips down to the wall until your thighs are parallel with the floor. Once you get into this position, hold it and start the clock. Keep your back flat against the wall and fight the urge to put your hands atop your thighs. Your legs will likely start to shake, but push through and hold that seated position for as long as you can. The wall sit exercise can also be completed with one leg at a time, which would allow you to find any huge discrepancies in strength between legs.

Body-Weight Squats

The body-weight squat tests the muscles in your legs on their ability to perform contractions over and over. Stand with your back to a chair. With your feet set to shoulder-width apart and your hands on your hips, push your hips back and bend your knees to lower down into a squat. Once your hips touch the chair, stand right back up. Complete as many repetitions as you can in 60 seconds.

Seated to Squat Test

The seated to squat muscular endurance test is appropriate for those who are beginners or lack the ability to perform a regular squat. Similar to body weight squat, the test includes completing as many repetitions in 60 seconds. Begin by sitting fully into a chair with your feet positioned shoulder-width apart and placed completely on the floor. With your hands on your hips, rise up into a full standing position. Squat back down until you’re seated into the chair. Perform as many repetitions as you can for 30 seconds and record your score.